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Clover-Six and Vester-Six
}} The Clover-Six (クロバーシックス) and Vester-Six (ベスターシックス) are Japanese 6×6 folding cameras, made from 1937 to 1944. Origin The Clover-Six and Vester-Six were certainly manufactured by Ginrei. The Clover-Six was distributed by Hagi Kōgyō Bōeki, and the similar Vester-Six was perhaps sold by Ginrei itself. The Ginrei origin is confirmed by the GRC acronym engraved on the folding struts, typical of the company's products, and by a mention in a February 1944 advertisement saying that Ginrei was the "manufacturer of Clover cameras". クロバーカメラ製造元: advertisement on p.12 of Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin, February 15, 1944, reproduced on p.76 of Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku. A December 1937 advertisement for the Clover-Six says that Hagi was the "manufacturer and distributor", but this is unlikely. 製造発売元: advertisement in Asahi Camera reproduced in , p.69. The Venner lenses and Vester shutters were made by Ginrei too. Made by Ginrei: , lens item M2, shutter item 18-P-2. The names Venner and Vester appear on various other Ginrei products, sometimes in direct conjunction with the company name. General description The Clover-Six and Vester-Six are horizontal folders. The viewfinder is contained in a short housing that also supports the accessory shoe. The advance knob is at the left end of the top plate, and there is usually another knob at the right end. The advance knob has three rows of knurls and an arrow engraved on the top. The back is hinged to the right and film advance is controlled by red window. The folding struts are engraved GRC. The Clover-Six The Clover-Six is marked CLOVER-SIX in front of the viewfinder housing and the name Clover Six is also embossed in the leather of the folding bed. Original Clover-Six, Clover-Six 1 and 2 The Clover-Six appeared at the end of 1937. The first advertisement listed in , p.336, is dated December 1937. The original model has no body release and has a brilliant finder attached to the shutter housing. It is said that there are three red windows in the back. Three red windows: , p.336. An advertisement dated December 1937 Advertisement published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in , p.69. offered this version for with a Venner 78/4.5 lens and a Vester 1 shutter (10–200, T, B). The shutter plate is black and is marked GRC Co at the top and VESTER 1 at the bottom. The right knob seems to be decorative only and has a smooth rim. A transition model is pictured with no body release and no brilliant finder in the Omoide no supuringu-kamera-ten exhibition catalogue. Omoide no supuringu-kamera-ten, p.16. It has the Vester 1 shutter and an Anastigmat Venner 80mm f/4.5 lens. The regular model appeared in mid 1938, with an added body release. Date: , p.336. The right knob has a knurled rim and the back has a single red window in the middle, protected by a horizontally sliding cover. The shutter is the same Vester 1 as on the previous model. The shutter plate has similar markings but the speed scale is sometimes chrome instead of black. An advertisement dated June 1939 Advertisement published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in , p.69. only called the camera "Clover-Six" and listed two variants: * Venner f/4.5 lens ( ); * Venner f/3.5 lens, newly available ( ). Some sources say that the original model was called "Clover-Six 1" and the regular model "Clover-Six 2", but this does not appear in the advertisements. , p.336, and this page of the AJCC. The list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941, mentioned the Clover-Six in a number of versions: "Clover-Six I" (¥79), "Clover-Six II" (¥94), "Clover-Six III" (¥128), "Clover-Six IV" and "Clover-Six B" (¥160 each), with no further details. , type 4, sections 3, 4, 5B and 6B. The III, IV and B correspond to the models described below, and it is likely that the I and II correspond to the f/4.5 and f/3.5 versions of the regular model (with 10–200 shutter). The Clover-Six 3, 4 and B The Clover-Six 3, 4 and B were advertised between 1941 and 1943. , p.336. At the right end of the top plate, the decorative knob has been replaced by a depth-of-field dial, even if at least one camera has been observed with no dial at all, perhaps because it came loose. Example observed in an online auction. An advertisement dated April 1942 Advertisement published in Hōdō Shashin, reproduced in , p.69. gives the following characteristics: * Clover-Six 3: f/4.5 lens, 1–200 shutter ( ); * Clover-Six 4: f/3.5 lens, 1–200 shutter ( ); * Clover-Six B: f/3.5 lens, 1–200 shutter, self-timer ( ). The self-timer equipped shutter is an Orient made by Tōyō Kōki and the others are Vester shutters. , p.336, and , item 1034, say that the self-timer equipped shutter is an "Oriental" (オリエンタル), but this is invalidated by the , shutter item 18-P-23. On these, the shutter plate is metal and is marked GINREI KOHKI at the top. It is said that the f/4.5 lens has 78mm focal length. , p.336. For the f/3.5 models, the lens engraving was modified during the camera production and the focal length was pushed from 75mm to 80mm, perhaps because of an insufficient coverage. The Venner 75/3.5 and 80/3.5 are listed separately in the (lens items Lb4 and M2), so the lenses actually differ and this is not merely a matter of engraving. On actual examples of the Clover-Six 4 and Clover-Six B, two types of lens engraving have been observed, in chronological order: * Venner Anastigmat 1:3.5 F=75mm N°xxxxx, with lens number in the 36xxx and 37xxx range; Examples observed in online auctions. * G.R.C. Venner N°xxxxx F=80mm 1:3.5, with lens number in the 39xxx to 41xxx range. Examples pictured in , item 1034 (lens no.40x07), and in this page of the AJCC, and observed in online auctions. Another example of the Clover-Six 4 has been observed with an 80mm f/3.5 lens engraved N.L.K. Venner N°26217, perhaps provided by a different supplier. Example observed in an online auction. It is probable that the transitional marking Venner G.R.C. 1:3.5 F=80mm N°xxxxx found on a Vester-Six also exists on examples of the Clover-Six, but it has not yet been observed. The versions with the Venner 80/3.5 lens and either a Vester III (T, B, 1–200) or an Orient A shutter (T, B, 1–200, self-timer) were still mentioned in the April 1943 government inquiry on Japanese camera production. , items 96–7, lens item M2, shutter items 18-P-2 and 18-P-23. The name of the manufacturer is unfortunately missing from the document. The Vester-Six The Vester-Six is identical to the Clover-Six 3, 4 and B, with a depth-of-field dial on the right end of the top plate. The only difference is that a metal plate engraved VESTER-SIX is screwed to the front of the finder housing and that VESTER-SIX is embossed in the back leather. No advertisement for the Vester-Six has been found yet. The actual examples observed of the Vester-Six have a Vester 3 shutter giving T, B, 1–200 speeds. The shutter plate is marked GINREI KOHKI at the top and Vester .3 or VESTER .3 at the bottom, with a logo on the right. Three types of lens engraving have been observed, in chronological order: * Venner Anastigmat 1:3.5 F=75mm N°xxxxx, with lens number in the 36xxx range; Example pictured in , p.345. * Venner G.R.C. 1:3.5 F=80mm N°xxxxx, with lens number in the 37xxx range; Example observed in an online auction. * G.R.C. Venner N°xxxxx F=80mm 1:3.5, with lens number in the 38xxx to 42xxx range. Examples pictured in this page at Japan Family Camera, in this post at a Chinese forum, for sale at a Chinese dealer and in online auctions. Notes Bibliography * Items 79–83. * Items 96–7. * Type 4, sections 3, 4, 5B and 6B. * Pp.345–6 and 374. * Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin (日本写真興業通信). Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku (百号ごと十回の記録, Ten records, every hundred issues). Tokyo: Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin Sha (日本写真興業通信社), 1967. No ISBN number. Advertisement on p.76, corresponding to p.12 of the February 15, 1944 issue. * Omoide no supuringu-kamera-ten (思い出のスプリングカメラ展, Exhibition of beloved self-erecting cameras). Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 1992. (Exhibition catalogue, no ISBN number.) P.16. * Item 1034. * Tanaka Masao (田中政雄). "Sonota no nihon no supuringu-kamera" (その他の日本のスプリングカメラ, "Other Japanese folding cameras"). Pp.76–80. Links In Japanese: * Pages of the AJCC: ** Early Clover-Six and regular Clover-Six ** Early Clover-Six and regular Clover-Six in this page (these are the same two examples as above) ** Clover-Six B (wrongly listed as a Clover-Six 4) * Vester-Six at Japan Family Camera In Chinese: * Post about the Vester-Six in a Chinese forum Category: Japanese 6x6 viewfinder folding Category: C Vester-Six Category: 1937